Fall of the Mughal Empire v2.c23.8

v2.c23.8

In India Ali Quli married a highly accomplished poetess who had, alas, begun life as a professional dancing-girl. Their daughter Ganna Begam inherited the poetical talent and artistic culture as well as the beauty of her Hetera mother, and her hand was sought by the highest nobles in the land, such as Shuja-ud-daulah the Nawab of Oudh and Imad-ul-mulk the imperial wazir. After her father's death, when at Agra on her way to Lucknow to be married to Shuja, she was surrounded by the men of Jawahir Singh Jat, who wanted to kidnap this famous beauty; but she contrived to escape to Farrukhabad. Here her family friend, the Nawab Ahmad Khan Bangash, induced her mother to prefer the suit of Imad, to whom she was married later in the year. But this brought down on her head the vindictive fury of Mughlani Begam, whose daughter Umda Begam had been betrothed to Imad in their childhood. The Abdali king during his occupation of Delhi forced Imad to marry Umda Begam (21 Feb. 1757) and hand over poor friendless Ganna as a bond-maid to her rival! She lies buried at Nurabad, 13 miles north of Gwalior, her epitaph being, *Ah, gham-i-Ganna Begam!* ‘alas! weep for Ganna Begam’,—which gives the year of her death, 1775 A. D.